QNAP TS-101: a 9-in-1 NAS Server Station

Introduction

The advent of digital age has greatly increased the size and amount of files in our computer.  With the advances of internet, digital music, and digital cameras, storing and sharing data has become a much bigger task than ever.  Luckily the hard drives keep getting larger and the prices are keep falling.  However, sharing these data are not as easy as storing them.  The USB flash drives are nice and easy to transfer files between PCs but the size limit could sometimes make it hard to transfer a large file.  Alternate solution would be using an external storage to transfer the data among PCs.  They do offer much greater storage space than the USB flash drive, but they are limited by only allowing the system at which the storage is attached to access the files.  Another possible solution would be creating a dedicated file server so all computers on the network can access the files.  This is definitely not be a solution for home or small business as the cost would beyond most people’s willness to pay.  Even with a simple server, such as an old system to store and share files, the need to have the system turned on 24/7 in order for the files to be accessible, could cost a home user a tremendous amount of electrical bills.  Enter the solution to the data storage and share problem--a Network Attached Storage, or simply NAS.

As oppose to a dedicated file server, where you would need a central system dedicated for file sharing and storage, NAS basically strips everything to a bare minimum and its whole function is just storing and sharing files.  Not only NAS can save a tremendous amount of hardware and maintenance cost from a dedicated server, they also offer an easy way to store large files so that anyone on the network can access them.  In recent years, not only that the cost for NAS has dropped significantly, they are also packed with many other features that are beyond storing and sharing files.  Today, we will be looking at QNAP’s Turbo Station TS-101 -- 9-in-1 NAS Server.

QNAP TS-101 is an NAS enclosure which takes SATA hard drives.  It supports both SATA 1 and SATA II.  The enclosure which we received does not come with any hard disks.  QNAP advertises the enclosure as an 9-in-1 NAS Server Turbo Station as it does not only supports NAS, it also comes with a slew of other features and applications which we will take a detailed look.

Features:

Let's start by take a look at the feature of TS-101.  It's a long list as it does quite a lot more than simply storing files.

• Easy to use, simple set-up in a few steps
• Support SATA I / SATA II disk, up to 750 GB or above, and extendable to 1.5 TB by eSATA/USB port
• 3 high speed 2.0 to support USB printer, disk, digital camera, pen drive card reader, USB Hub
• High speed transfer port: 480Mbps USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, 1.5GB eSATA. Data transfer can be done in a flash
• Support PHP and SQLite to establish interactive websites.
• Supports UPnP multimedia technology for sharing of multimedia files at home
• Most reliable data backup: instant/ schedule/ real-time backup
• Best heat-dissipation, shock-resistance, anti-collision aluminum design
• Fanless, Noiseless, Absolutely Quiet!!!  The Coolest BT Download Partner
• ROHS Compliant 
• Multimedia Station
• TS-101 supports user-friendly web interface to allow administrator to manage albums, authorized users to preview image, audio or video files, and print or play photos by slide show. 
• Download Station
  TS-101 allows users to add P2P torrent to download list and leave TS-101 to download the files without using PC.
• Mirror Station
  Unique Q-RAID 1 technology enhances data security. You can mirror all the important data in TS-101 to additional USB hard drive or the latest released eSATA hard drive box.
• Disaster Recovery
  TS-101 provides remote disk backup over internet connections to another storage device in remote location.  Users can quickly restore their own files even if there is any incident in the location of TS-101.
• Web Server
  TS-101 enables you to publish your html files as your own website on the Internet. There is no need of going through all the hassles of setting up a web server.
• Printer Server
  Simply connect USB printer to the USB port of TS-101 to enable printer sharing function without occupying any PC resource.
• File Server
  Centralize all your data. Files are stored and accessed via network so the need to send large size email or use costly overnight mail to send CD are virtually eliminated.
• FTP Server
  TS-101 can simplify the procedure of establishing an FTP server in a few steps without the need to seek for MIS help.
• Backup Server
  TS-101 provides Netbak Replicator to enable PC users to set up schedule for data backup automatically. TS-101 also supports Block Level remote replication to provide reliable, instant and secure data backup.